Carolina Heat Read Online Free Page B

slowly. He sounded confused by her apparent choice to completely ignore the occurrences of the past five minutes, but fell into step beside her as she left the plaza.
    “I wish I could get a better look. The glare off the ocean is fierce. Must be almost noon.” Annabelle picked her way across the rocky strip of land which passed for a beach, squinting determinedly at the ships.
    “The one in front is an aircraft carrier from World War II; the USS Yorktown.”
    “Mmm, now I see it.” She stopped at the water’s edge and slowly raised an arm to shield her eyes from the sun. Mark moved closer to point out the second carrier. A moment later, Annabelle abruptly pushed against his chest with all her might. She was rewarded by a tremendous splash as over six strapping feet of man toppled backwards directly into a breaking wave.
    “Damn it!” Mark spluttered.
    “Oh, I’m so sorry,” Annabelle murmured in a saccharine tone. She was not sorry at all. She was, in fact, quite satisfied with the results of her ploy. “Did you get wet?”
    “No - I mean, yes, of course I’m wet, but it’s not why I cussed.” Mark shot her a glare. He sat in the light surf pulling strands of seaweed off his legs. “You pushed me onto a pile of rocks. Intentionally!”
    “Oh no, I really don’t believe that’s what happened,” she replied, shaking her head from side to side. “I intentionally pushed you into the water. The fact you landed on a few pebbles is simply not my fault.”
    “Sharp, pointy, painful rocks.”
    “So get up already!” Annabelle didn’t even try to keep a straight face. He made quite the picture, sodden shorts clinging to his tanned, well-muscled thighs.
    A deep chuckle let her know she hadn’t gone too far with her revenge. “You certainly got the best of me. You win this round, Miss Annabelle.” Dripping and covered with sand, Mark stood and solemnly extended his right hand.
    “A truce, then?”
    “Darn right.” They shook hands. “I don’t have the stamina to keep my guard up all day. You Northern girls can be hard on a man.”
    “Maybe you’ve had it a little too easy a little too long,” Annabelle teased. It was amazing. After months of disuse, her flirting muscles were finally flexing themselves. It really did come back to you, like riding a bike.
    “Maybe you don’t know how to sit still and enjoy life,” he tossed back.
    Annabelle saw a flash of rock hard abdomen as he wrung water from his shirt. A tingle of awareness zipped down her spine. She realized her own wet clothes clung almost indecently, but luckily the heat was already beginning to dry her thin shirt. They walked back along the plaza.
    “Why don’t you let me take you to lunch?” Mark brushed a wet curl off her cheek as he continued. “I’ll show you how nice it can be to do things slowly - Southern style. Trust me, there’s no one more qualified to teach you how to enjoy slowing everything down.”
    Wow. The man was a living, breathing example of sexual innuendo. Actually, his come-on was so over the top, it transcended innuendo. He couldn’t have been more blatant if he’d pulled a condom out of his pocket and waved it in her face. Her lips tightened.
    “I think I’ve seen all I need of your style ,” Annabelle hissed. This was one of the rare occasions when her first impression was incorrect. This guy was far from a gentleman. He was as slimy as all the creeps in New York. The only difference lay in how well Mark hid his true colors under a thin veneer of old-fashioned charm.
    Episodes like this one reminded her why she’d spent the last two years steering clear of relationships. Clearly, the time-worn cliché about all good men being taken was firmly steeped in truth. The last few hours with Mark proved that taking a chance with a total stranger was not fate, not romantic, and nothing less than a categorically dumb idea. And yet it was surprising how much the disappointment stung. She strode quickly back towards